Why Are We Here?: Everyday Questions and the Christian Life - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1563382369 ISBN 13: 9781563382369

Publisher: Trinity Press International, 1998

Synopsis

A one-of-a-kind book in which several outstanding theologians use their expertise to examine everyday questions that Christians ask. Christians do not just believe; they think about what they believe. Moreover, they are not content with simple.

About this title

About the Author

Ronald F. Thiemann is John Lord O’Brian Professor of Theology and Dean of Harvard Divinity School.William C. Placher was Professor of Contemporary Theology and Philosophy of Religion at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN.

From the Back Cover

A one-of-a-kind book in which several outstanding theologians use their expertise to examine everyday questions that Christians ask.

Christians do not just believe; they think about what they believe. Moreover, they are not content with simple answers to their questions about life and meaning. The contributors to this volume therefore provide thoughtful responses to the following questions: Why are we here? Why are we so indifferent about our spiritual lives? Why do the innocent suffer? Is Jesus Christ the only way to salvation? Are there angels? Why go to church? The unity of the church--why care? What shall parents teach their children? What does my faith have to do with my job? Must Christians believe in hell? Is there life after death?

The eleven contributors to this volume--which include, in addition to the editors--Kathryn Tanner, David Dawson, Thomas F. Tracy, J.A. DiNoia, Bruce D. Marshall, James J. Buckley, Michael Root, William Werpehowski, and George Hunsinger) are friends who attended the same graduate school (Yale) and had many of the same teachers. For twenty years they have been meeting once a year to talk about their work, their lives, and their thinking about the Christian faith. In this book they share with fellow Christians and curious bystanders the intellectual and spiritual wealth and excitement and complexity they have found in that faith.

Ronald F. Thiemann is John Lord O'Brian Professor of Theology and Dean of Harvard Divinity School. William C. Placher is Professor of Contemporary Theology and Philosophy of Religion at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN.

Reviews

Thiemann (dean, Harvard Divinity Sch.) and Placher (contemporary theology and philosophy of religion, Wabash Coll.) have collaborated with nine friends, all fellow theologians and graduates of Yale, to contribute these essays regarding Christian faith. Written from Catholic and Protestant, pastoral and lay viewpoints, these explorations probe a range of essential issues such as the purpose of life, the problem of suffering, Jesus as the sole means of salvation, the existence of angels, reasons for attending church, teaching children about God, the concept of hell, work, and life after death. Taken together, these essays bear a unity of conviction that arises from a clear and genuine spirit of inquiry. Non-Christians will find this a helpful introduction to Christian beliefs in everyday practice, and thoughtful Christians will read it with the recognition that simple answers don't suffice.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Trinity Press International
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563382369
• ISBN 13: 9781563382369
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176
• Editor: Thiemann Ronald F., Placher William C.